The 2015/2016 Hong Kong Top Footballer Awards Ceremony took place in Kowloon Bay on Thursday evening. Multiple team and individual awards were handed out on the occasion and honours were bestowed to their worthy recipients. Let us take a look at what some of the stars and guests had to say about receiving their awards.

The soon-to-retire Japanese striker Kenji Fukuda collected more than 3,000 public votes from the supporters and became this year's Most Favourite Player. The Dreams Metro Gallery veteran striker had certainly left his mark in Hong Kong football with his professionalism on the pitch and genuine attitude off the pitch. Fukuda struggled to hold back his emotions when he was asked to share his feelings after collecting the award.

“This is an unbelievable result and I want to thank everyone who voted for me,” the evergreen Fukuda said with great emotions. “I worked very hard during my time in the Hong Kong Premier League and the only thing that I can say is that I have given my all. Regarding the support that I have received from the fans, maybe it is because they saw how much I love Hong Kong and we also seem to understand each other very much.”

Eastern goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai was the red hot favourite for the Top Footballer Award and did not disappoint by taking home the prize. The humble Yapp thanked all the coaches whom he worked with during all these years and wished Hong Kong football to continue its recent steady development. “This is an unforgettable season, with myself collecting team honours as the captain of Eastern, while also helping Hong Kong to achieve decent results on the international stage. In addition, it is also great to see sellout crowds for Hong Kong international matches,” Yapp reflected. “I want to thank all of the staffs and players of the Hong Kong Representative Team and Eastern for such a great season. Hopefully, we can all keep up with the good work and get more fans into the stadium.”

Kitchee's Li Ngai-hoi, named as one of the two Young Players of the Year, spent time thanking his parent club for his own achievement. “I am extremely happy to be named as one of the two Young Players of the Year. I want to thank Kitchee for my development, as well as the support that they have given me throughout the years,” Li said. “This has been a difficult season for me personally, as I suffered a severe injury at one point. However, the club stood by me with great support, provided me with a lot of valuable resources so that I could focus on my rehab. I simply cannot say enough thank you to Kitchee for what they have done for me.”

Dreams Metro Gallery young goalkeeper To Chun-kiu was voted by the supporters for making the best save of the season. The young custodian pulled out a stunning double-save against Kitchee in the League Cup and set himself up nicely for the award. After collecting his trophy, To was quick to share the glory with all his coaches and teammates. “First of all, I want to thank all the coaches that I have worked with all these years,” To said in an appreciative manner. “At the same time, credit should also go to my teammates as well. Football is a team sport and behind every individual award, there is a lot of hard work contributed by a lot of people. Without everyone’s support and help, I would have never had the chance of playing in the Hong Kong Premier League, let alone standing on stage this evening and collecting this award.”

Hong Kong Premier League fanatic Yu Lun-chung was one of the handful fans who were invited to attend the awards ceremony. Yu left a touching message for Kenji Fukuda on his ballot for this year's awards and subsequently received the opportunity to hand out the prize to his favourite player. “It never crossed my mind that I would have the opportunity to personally deliver the trophy to the recipient,” Yu confessed with excitement. “I really admire the never-give-up attitude displayed by Kenji Fukuda on the pitch. Maybe he is at the end of his career, maybe his club is not a title contender and does not have much chance of winning. Yet no matter what, Fukuda never gives up on the pitch and always runs for his side. The way that Fukuda treats the game is something that our local players can definitely learn from.”

No matter if you are a player who competes weekly in local football with that unyielding burning passion, or whether you are a die-hard football fan who travels close and far every weekend, just to support your favourite team in person. Please allow us to quote the highly respectable Kenji Fukuda for the conclusion of this piece… …

”Thank you for all of your support!”